From the moment he entered the dark taproom,
Caleb Hunt found himself drawn to the handsome man who sat alone at the end of
the bar, away from the crowd. His interest in the dark-haired, muscled adonis
took him by surprise, not remembering when he’d felt such hunger from a
simple glimpse. Unable to stay away, he quickly found an open seat next to him
and slid into it. When Ronan turned his ice-blue eyes to Caleb and introduced
himself, his warm hand sent shivers of desire through his body and he was enthralled.

Ronan Scott’s boring Friday night had taken a
turn for the better when Caleb took the seat next to him. Over the next few
hours, he found Caleb easy to talk to and at the same time, he found that he
couldn’t tear his gaze away from the beautiful man. Caleb captured his
attention in a way that no other had for as long as he could remember. Taking a
chance, he leaned forward and captured Caleb’s lips with his. And with the
simple kiss, Ronan understood that Caleb would become an essential part of his life.

As Ronan and Caleb explore their new
relationship and integrate their lives together, they realize that not
everything will be so seamless…

EXCERPT

That’s when he spotted him
and everything stopped.

His breathing hitched in his
chest and his heart thudded once, hard, and even the music seemed to fade as
his gaze landed on a dark-haired man who sat by himself at the bar. As Caleb’s eyes slid down the man’s body of
their own accord, he noted the fitted black tee that emphasized the muscles of
his arms, back, and shoulders, before his gaze dropped lower to his legs
encased in denim.

When he lifted a beer to his
mouth and swallowed, Caleb felt his own throat tighten. A shiver of desire passed over him. Never had he felt this way about a man or
woman in his life.

Before he could analyze his
actions or talk himself out of his stupid plan, he walked toward the man. Part of him wanted to see if the man was as
stunning as he believed from across the bar or if he’d been alone for so long
that his mind had conjured the perfect man.

Before Caleb could reach the
stool next to him, a beautiful blonde glided up to him, running her hand down
his chest. Her smile flirty and
sensual. Although Caleb had never been
propositioned in any way close to resembling what he witnessed, he knew that
she offered the man a brazen invitation to get to know her better.

Disappointment flooded Caleb’s
chest.

In the next moment, however,
she frowned and backed away from him as quickly as she arrived, leaving an
empty chair.

Not questioning his good luck,
Caleb hurried over and shed his coat, dropping it over the back. He flagged down the bartender and indicated
the beer he wanted.

He sensed the man’s eyes on
him, but for the moment, he wasn’t brave enough to turn and catch his gaze. Not when his breath had stuck in his throat,
and he didn’t know if he could speak without sounding choked.

As soon as the bartender handed
him his mug, the man turned his body toward him and leaned over to speak, close
to his ear.

“Are you here alone?”

Caleb had to bite the inside of
his lip in order not to moan out loud at the sexy, deep voice. Remembering the question, he shook his head
and pointed toward Dylan and Garrett across the room. Dylan, of course, had a woman on his lap and
was tracing a finger down her neck, before he leaned toward her and his mouth
followed the same trail.

Garrett was looking down at his
phone. The shy woman he’d been talking
to had disappeared, much to Caleb’s disappointment, and another was trying,
unsuccessfully, to get his attention.
She looked drunk and very loud by the way he flinched every time she
spoke.

“Dylan, the one on the right
with a woman on his lap, is the biggest flirt in the world. He’s never serious about any woman he takes
home. Garrett is his best friend, the
complete opposite of Dylan, but he’s loyal.”

The man laughed and Caleb
couldn’t help the lift of his lips at the sound. It was deep, rich, and addictive. But when the man turned his ice-blue eyes on
him, something unidentifiable swelled in his chest. He could sense that he should speak, to keep
this gorgeous man talking for as long as possible. “Are you here alone?”

Smart, Caleb. Just parrot the same question back.

The man smiled before he nodded
over to his group of friends. Some were flirting,
but others were enjoying the company of their friends on a Friday night.

“The ginger is Hawk; he’s a
divorce lawyer who is handling Ryan’s divorce.
That’s why they’re hunched over their beers. Ryan’s wife apparently hadn’t been faithful
during their entire four-year marriage, and he found out when he came home
early from a business trip. Jack is the
one who is flirting with the group of women; he’s like Dylan in that way, never
serious. He’s a CEO of a tech company
and he could have any woman with his looks and the power he exudes, but he’s
never been in a serious relationship.
Sam is my second-in-command, the one who looks faintly sick, because
Adam is a forensic scientist who loves talking about his work.”

Caleb found himself smiling at
the group of friends. When he glanced at
the man, who had turned back to Caleb after pointing out his friends, he
snagged Caleb’s gaze. “So, do you have a
girlfriend at home?”

“No. I can’t remember the last time I had a date,
much less a successful one. You?”

Caleb breathed a sigh of relief
when he shook his head.

“I’m Ronan Scott.” He held his hand out.

Even the man’s name is sexy.

He had to clear his throat
before he reached out and grasped Ronan’s large, warm hand in his. “Caleb Hunt.”

Something inside Caleb warmed in
increments until fireworks exploded behind his skin, all from a simple touch.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Valerie
writes paranormal and contemporary romances with strong alpha males and
brilliant, beautiful heroines. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her
wonderfully supportive husband and their funny and wise black lab. She's
addicted to coffee, crime shows, and reading and writing character driven
romances.

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About Me

I do my best to blend fast-paced action with personal struggles and tender romance. Romantic suspense is my genre, and I write for Tirgearr Publishing in Ireland. Deadly Alliance has a release date of February 2016. I'm writing the sequel, Alliance of Liars.